


entr'acte

by seokjynerso



Series: danse macabre [2]
Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Cooking, Disturbing Themes, Fairy Tale Retellings, Food is People, Gen, Mild Blood, Possessive Behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-23 23:59:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14343702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seokjynerso/pseuds/seokjynerso
Summary: ❝ because you are what you eat, and you know what it is. ❞edd had found tord with his broken wings and shattered dreams and nursed him back to life, yet all he wanted to do was to fly away.perhaps, that's why angels who dared to rebel against god would have their wings ripped off.





	entr'acte

**Author's Note:**

> an adaptation of the [second part](http://aminoapps.com/p/piyjrk) of the psycho!edd series.

 

  _act ii, scene i, sleeping beauty_

_op. 66 no. 18, entr'acte_

_(a hundred years had passed and the rose briars coiling around the palace grounds had grown into a forest of thorns, all waiting to pierce through skin and tear through flesh. one day, a hunting party came upon the desolated woodland, led by the charming prince désiré. surrounded by the crumbling remnants of a grand past, the prince was soon seized by melancholy一a painful yearning beckoning him like an ancient call.)_

In the locked basement room, Edd knelt as if before the altar to his all-encompassing love and untethered rage, the grim offerings scattered around him. An overwhelming fatigue was etched into dark shadows beneath his eyes, and when the very same eyes glided over the empty syringe, the bloody saw, the soiled bandages and the greatest evidence of what he'd just committed, a sudden ache crept into his heart. Things should never come to this. Even though what he did was for the best, it was also easily preventable.

_(as if answering désiré's silent pleas, the lilac fairy appeared before him, summoning the image of a sleeping princess.)_

Just one prick of a needle and there Tord was, lying asleep inches away from Edd. The lines of pain and confusion had been smoothed from Tord's face, the ordeal he'd faced now a phantom memory. He looked so innocent with his pale eyelids closed一as gentle, as beautiful and as fragile as a drifting snowflake. He was completely at peace, still and unstirred except for the rise and fall of his thin chest. The rhythm of his soft breathing put Edd in a trance, and the world seemed to stop still.

"What time is it?"

Edd didn't mean to lay even a hand on Tord, but Tord had brought his punishment upon himself. If only he knew how much Edd cared about him. How Edd would give his everything to protect the innocence gracing Tord's sleeping face from the harsh reality of the world, how their strong friendship was the only thing Tord needed for a perfect life, but no一Edd had found Tord with his broken wings and shattered dreams and nursed him back to life, yet all he wanted to do was to fly away.

Perhaps, that's why angels who dared to rebel against God would have their wings ripped off.

Beneath the weight of today's chaotic events, Edd felt his limbs growing heavier and heavier, weakening him. "I should take a nap before the others come back," he said, rubbing at his nose, followed by a faint sniff.

But the incriminating evidence was still there on the floor; bleeding, taunting.

"Where should I hide that leg?"

_(the enchanted prince ran towards the beautiful image in haste, but with a wave of the lilac fairy's wand, it evanesced into thin air.)_

"We're home!" Tom announced the moment he and Matt stepped inside. They were worn out from rummaging through different stores for the whole day to find special cola cans bearing the names of the three of them, so returning home to a rich, mouth-watering aroma filling the air was divine.

"You guys are back?" Edd said from the kitchen, a hollow surprise playing on his parted lips, "I didn't hear you come."

_A lie._

"Wow!" Tom could no longer contain his excitement when he saw Edd carrying a still-hot plate in his mitted hands. "Is this meat?" he asked.

Yes. It's a thin choice cut, trimmed even further with a butcher's precision. Think of a hanger steak, an arrachera, an onglet. The muscles had been toughened with use, having a coarse, sinewy texture with a distinct grain running within. Anything above medium rare would make it too rubbery to chew.

But the grains will soak flavours nicely.

Edd had marinated the steak for an hour in a container filled with lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin and black pepper, giving it its signature citrusy taste with a hint of spiciness. Since it was a relatively thin cut, it would cook too fast for his liking, so he'd taken careful steps to slowly maximise the heat beneath the meat, striking a delicate balance between a crisp, pan-charred exterior and a moist, buttery center that melts in your mouth.

As a finishing touch, it was served on porcelain with cuts of lime, fried potato wedges and sprinkles of cilantro.

The youngest was frozen by the dining table with joy. With his rounded hollow eyes and rounded mouth, he began to bear a striking resemblance to his old mother. Matt, however, kept on looking at Edd while purposely avoiding direct eye contact. "I thought we'd spent all of our savings." he commented.

 _On something more important that you'll never understand_ , Edd thought to himself. "So did I. But I found some money I saved up." he said instead with a charming smile.

"Doesn't matter! Let's eat!" Tom chirped, "It has been two weeks since we ate proper food."

"That's true..." Matt bit the inside of his lower lip. His quickened breathing was getting too audible for his own good.

"Haha, yeah, let's eat." Edd nudged Matt in the back, winking. "It's getting cold."

Cut your meal with a jagged knife and let the crackling sound lure you. Sink your teeth into the meat and allow yourself to be fully immersed in the taste, the unparalleled combination of flavour, crispiness and juiciness best paired with icy Coca-Cola. It was incredible, the meat lacking any distinct taste like, say, lamb or pork一just pure, uncorrupted toughness and stringiness on your tongue like good beef should be.

_(o sleeping beauty, blessed is your soul. your gentle slumber had spared you the grim knowledge of your coming fate. the sun and the moon will grieve in your stead.)_

The steak also tasted like meat tenderised by angered beatings, a betrayal by trying to leave a loving friend behind masked as a bargain for freedom, the loving friend doing everything in his power to stop someone he cared about from leaving and a Norwegian boy who'll never walk again.

_(in other retellings of your tale, your mother in law will serve the prince lamb and make believe that it was a part of you, but in this tale the prince will serve a part of you and make believe that it was lamb.)_

Of course it would taste like a hanger steak, a hanging strip off a cow's stomach一human calf muscles aren't named the gastrocnemius, the stomach of the leg, for nothing.


End file.
